Perfectly Broken (But All Still Here)
by Sealure
Summary: Ahsoka kept Padme from getting infected by the Blue Shadow Virus. The Senator is safe, but Ahsoka is dying. Half a galaxy away, Anakin and Obi-Wan know they are losing her. Can they convince her to hold on until they can save her? Or will their little family have to live in a galaxy devoid of her light? T for lots of Angst! And one smidgen of blood.


**Hello, my lovelies! This is the second of the three Ahsoka/Star Wars stories I've got going right now. The third one is nowhere near finished, but the plot bunny on that one is going ballistic, so it shouldn't be too much longer before it's done.**

 **I had SO MUCH FUN with this one! I knew from the start that it was going to end happily, and then I had to go and watch _Twilight of the Apprentice_ the afternoon I finished it. So there's a little epilogue thingy that was totally unplanned, and I'm really sorry (not) for any emotional breakdowns caused by it=P**

 **SPOILERS: Two episodes of the Star Wars: Clone Wars cartoon, but since this is an AU, it really doesn't make any difference. AND THE EPILOGUE! IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN STAR WARS:REBELS TWILIGHT OF THE APPRENTICE, DO NOT READ THE EPILOGUE! It's in italics, at the end, so really easy to avoid.**

 **WARNINGS: Guys, this one doesn't even have any! SO PROUD OF MYSELF! Oh, wait. My brother is telling me to warn you guys about angst and tears and emotional death-ok, that's a little overboard, don't you think? No? Ahem.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. =(**

 **Enjoy!**

 **This starts at the scene where Ahsoka, Rex, Padme, and Jar-Jar have just encountered the two droidekas.**

* * *

The two droidekas opened fire.

Ahsoka vaulted through the air, landing on top of the first droideka's force field. She carefully lowered her hand, easing it through the shield.

She distantly heard an outburst of yelling from the clones, but ignored it. _Just a few more inches… Almost got it…_

"JAR-JAR, NO!" Padme half-screamed.

Ahsoka's head jerked up just in time to see Jar-Jar aiming a blaster in her general direction—and then he fired it.

Padme's eyes got impossibly wider, and Ahsoka almost deflected the bolt. But the chance that it would hit her men—or worse, Padme—was too high. Instead, she yelped and threw her body into a desperate backflip, landing behind the droideka she'd been trying to turn into scrap metal ten seconds ago.

There was a dull burning feeling in her left montral, but there was nothing she could do about it right now. But other than that, she was fine.

Her maneuver had worked beautifully, but there was a cost: the second droideka had noticed her, and was turning to face her.

"Commander!" Rex shouted in warning.

"I see it, Rex!" she shouted back. The second droideka started firing at her, and the Padawan dove to the floor behind her original target. She was hoping that the droideka's blasters would be strong enough to break through its companion's shield.

 _Please let this work…_

And sure enough, a few seconds later a warning screamed through the Force.

"Yes!" Ahsoka whooped, pulling a Force shield around herself as the droideka exploded in a fiery corona of superheated, twisted metal.

" _Ahsoka!"_ Padme screamed.

Ahsoka didn't have time to reassure her, because the second droideka was still firing, and her cover was gone. The Togruta gathered the Force around herself and leaped, twisting in mid-air to avoid the blaster bolts. She landed on the last droid's shield and slid her hand through the shield in one smooth movement, igniting her 'saber. The droid collapsed, and she hit the ground with a graceful roll that brought her to her feet.

"There's that!" she said cheerfully, wincing slightly as she dragged in a deep breath.

Padme let out a sigh of relief and pulled Ahsoka into her arms. "I thought—the explosion—I couldn't see you—"

Ahsoka closed her eyes and leaned into the embrace of the closest thing she had to a mother. "I'm ok."

Padme swallowed hard. "Ahsoka, your veins are turning blue. You are _not_ alright."

The Togruta grinned. "I meant that I didn't get blown up or shot."

Rex cleared his throat. "About that." He pointed to her head.

Ahsoka frowned, then said "Oh!" as she remembered the sharp sting she'd felt earlier.

Padme gently turned the girl's head to the side and set about examining the injury.

"You dodged most of it," she said, being as careful as she could in her biohazard suit. "It looks like it barely grazed your montral. It shouldn't affect your hearing or anything, but a bacta patch wouldn't go amiss. Captain?"

Rex was already holding one out.

"Thank you." Padme turned back to Ahsoka, and the girl tilted her head again with a wry grin. Padme and Rex were both in full out mother Gundark mode, and even Anakin couldn't win against both of them. Ahsoka didn't even try. She accepted her doom with dignity, and decided to just be grateful that Master Obi-Wan wasn't here. Or worse, her Master.

 _He would probably insist on carrying me for the rest of the mission,_ she thought with amusement.

"Little 'un?" Rex was shaking her shoulders.

She blinked. "Yes?"

Padme and Rex exchanged concerned looks, and her "brother" knelt down in front of her, hands still on her shoulders. "You zoned out for a minute there. You still with us?"

She grinned at him. "I'm with you, Rexter!"

* * *

Ahsoka watched from her place on the ground as Rex took the pulse of a trooper who had been still for far too long. He sighed and shook his head, and she felt tears stinging her eyes.

"I hope their sacrifice is worth it," Padme whispered, obviously fighting back her own tears as she tried to make another trooper more comfortable.

"It will be, Padme!" Ahsoka tried to sound as upbeat as she usually did, forcing herself to her feet, but everything hurt, and she couldn't breathe right, so it was a lot harder than it usually was. "We just have to—"she interrupted herself with another coughing fit, and this one made her sag back against the wall. She felt a stabbing pain in her chest, and on her next cough, she felt liquid in her mouth. She spit carefully into her hand, then stared at her fingertips with distant surprise. Blood.

 _Well that's not good,_ she thought.

That was when she collapsed.

" _Ahsoka!"_

* * *

Anakin set his jaw as he pushed the ship to fly as fast as it could. That hologram of his wife and his Padawan had done nothing to relieve his worry. Padme's suit hadn't been compromised, which was such a relief he couldn't begin to describe it, but Ahsoka…

His hands tightened on the ship's controls. Ahsoka was dying. Her veins were blue, and her eyes were dull. Her posture was slumped and weary in a way that was just _wrong._ Ahsoka was energetic, bright, and cheerful. So full of _light._ He didn't even want to think about a galaxy where that light had gone out.

Anakin sighed, raking his fingers through his hair, and snuck a look at his old Master. To most people, Obi-Wan looked as calm and pulled together as he always did. But Anakin knew him better than that. Obi-Wan's back was ramrod straight, and his gaze stayed pinned to the blue streaks of hyperspace. His jewel-like eyes were a steely grey instead of their usual warm blue-green. There were creases in his brow, and at the corners of his eyes, and his fingers were methodically tightening and loosening, tightening and loosening on his armrests.

Obi-Wan was just as afraid of losing them as Anakin was.

The younger Knight opened his mouth to say something when _PAINPAINPAINAFRAIDSOTIREDCAN'TDOITANYMORECAN'TBREATHEAFRAIDPAINPAINDARKNESS_ slammed into his head.

"—kin?! _Anakin!"_

Anakin forced his eyes open, unsure of when he'd closed them. Obi-Wan was kneeling in front of him, hands clamped to his shoulders, shaking him. His Master's eyes were wide with fear and something else, something that Anakin had become far too accustomed to seeing in those eyes—grief.

"You felt that too, didn't you?" he croaked, wiping at his face when he realized he was weeping.

Obi-Wan swallowed convulsively and nodded once.

"Ahsoka…"Anakin whispered.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment, then snapped it back up and locked blazing eyes on Anakin. "She's not gone yet," he said, almost harshly. "There's still a chance. _Do not give up on her._ "

"But there was so much pain," Anakin moaned, almost tipping out of his chair until his Master propped him back up. "And so much _fear._ "

Obi-Wan clenched his jaw. "Believe me, Anakin," he said softly. "If she was gone, you would know." Old pain blazed in his eyes, every bit as potent as the day it had happened. "You have to reach past that and give her a reason to hold on."

Anakin swallowed hard and nodded. He closed his eyes, and felt Obi-Wan gently press against his shields, asking to be let in. Anakin automatically lowered his shields, and together they reached out for the bright little light that had somehow managed to become the most important thing in the universe to their little family.

* * *

" _Ahsoka?! Ahsoka! Open your eyes!"_

" _The poison's taking over her system, Captain."_

" _Come on, kid, don't do this to us. You've got to wake up."_

" _Heartbeat's slowing down!"_

" _Ahsoka, please open your eyes!"_

" _She's not breathing!"_

" _Wake up, Commander! Come on, Little 'Un!"_

* * *

The voices sounded like they were coming from very far away. _Open my eyes?_ She thought blearily. _When did I close them?_

She was so _tired….._

 _I think I'll just sleep for a while…_

* * *

Anakin swallowed hard as he and Obi-Wan forced their way through the waves of pain that were wracking his apprentice's tiny body and flooding her mind. Obi-Wan took as much of it as he could as they went, and finally, they found her. Anakin managed to catch the tail end of a thought: _just sleep for a while…._

Panic ripped through him.

 _ **No! Ahsoka, don't go to sleep!**_

There was a pause. Then: _Master?_

Relief rushed through him. She could hear him. _**I'm here, Snips. But you can't fall asleep, you hear me?**_

 _But I'm so tired, Master. And it hurts so much!_

Anakin bit back tears. _**I know, Snips, I know. But please, Ahsoka, don't give up. Don't give up on me.**_

 _I will never give up on you, Master._

Anakin felt a treacherous tear escape and slide down his face. She was in so much pain, she was afraid and dying, and she _still_ believed in him.

 _Little One,_ Obi-Wan called through his own bond with the girl. _Hold on, Little One. We're on our way. Wait for us, Ahsoka._

Anakin felt another tear escape his eyes at the desperation in Obi-Wan's plea.

 _Master Obi-Wan!_

 _Yes, Little One. We're both here. We are on our way to you, and we have the cure. You just have to hold on a little bit longer._

There was a long hesitation, then Ahsoka whimpered. _But it hurts. Master, make it go away!_

Anakin sobbed. _**I know it hurts, Snips. I know, and I am so sorry. But I can't make it go away until I get there. So you just hold on until we get there, okay? Just wait for us.**_

 _I'll—I'll try, Master._

 _ **Good girl, Ahsoka. You said that you would never give up on me. Well, I will**_ _ **never**_ _ **give up on you. So don't you give up on yourself, either. Promise me, Ahsoka!**_

 _I—I promise!_

Obi-Wan carefully helped her release as much pain into the Force as he could. And then they had to go.

 _No!_ Ahsoka shrieked as she felt them pulling away. _Don't leave me! Master! Master! Please!_

Anakin gave up on holding back his tears. It was a losing battle, anyway. _**Just hold on, Snips. Just hold on a little longer. I'm on my way, I swear.**_

She _wailed._

Anakin felt something in the vicinity of his chest shatter into a million pieces. And then Obi-Wan was there, his Master's brilliant Force-presence wrapping around both of them. Strong, unwavering, calming.

 _We will never leave you, Ahsoka. No matter how long it takes, no matter what we have to do or who we have to fight, we will always find a way back to you. We will never leave you on your own. Remember that, Little One. You are never alone._

Ahsoka's mind-numbing panic faded slightly as Obi-Wan's Force-presence sent her waves of courage, determination, and reassurance. She whispered one last thought before the connection broke.

 _Please hurry._

* * *

They were out. The med droids had gotten them out, and they were on their way up to the ship. Anakin was pacing back and forth, and Obi-Wan's arms were crossed, fingers drumming against his arm so fast, they were a blur.

Then the extraction team was coming around the corner, pushing stretchers in front of them. Rex, Padme, and—

" _Ahsoka!"_

Anakin bolted across the clearing, skidding to a stop beside his Padawan. Her eyes were closed, and he felt his stomach churn at her blue, almost black veins. She didn't answer.

"Ahsoka?" he whispered, lifting her tiny hand in his.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered. "….M'st'r?" she mumbled.

Anakin lowered his head and let out a shuddering breath. "I'm here, Snips," he said shakily. "I'm right here. You're alright now. You're going to be fine."

One blue eye cracked open, and examined him from head to foot. "You're…..even in…one…..piece. I'm…impressed…."

"Insolent brat," he said, tears stinging his eyes as he ran a hand over her forehead. He gave a watery chuckle as he saw her fighting to keep her eyes open. "You can go to sleep now, Ahsoka."

"O—"she yawned. "Okay. G'night…..Master…"

"Goodnight, Ahsoka," he said, but she was already out.

" _Anakin!"_ The voice of his beloved wife sounded behind him, and he turned just in time to catch her as she threw her arms around his neck. He held her back just as tightly, not caring who saw them.

"Oh, Anakin," she whispered into his chest. "I was so afraid…."

"It's alright," he soothed, "You're safe now."

"What?" she pulled back and looked at him, confused. Then her face cleared. "Oh, not for me! I had a suit! I was fine. I was afraid for _Ahsoka._ I didn't—"she faltered, tears gathering in her eyes. "I didn't think she was going to make it."

Anakin's throat closed up. "Neither did I," he choked.

"There was one time where she collapsed," Padme swallowed her tears with difficulty. "We couldn't wake her up. She kept calling for you, and Obi-Wan."

Anakin nodded, reigning his unruly emotions back in. "We managed to reach her, convince her to hold on until we got here."

Padme sighed. "Thank the Force," she muttered, running a hand over her eyes. Then she looked up quickly. "She's going to be alright, isn't she?"

"Yes, she'll be fine."

Padme's whole body sagged in relief. Anakin wrapped her in his arms again, and they stood there together. _Alive._

* * *

Anakin turned to catch Padme, and Obi-Wan smiled. Those two thought they were so discreet…he shook his head. He wouldn't press. Anakin would tell him eventually.

Then his attention was captured by a tiny Togruta, sound asleep on a medical stretcher. He stepped forward, resting a gentle hand on her forehead. He felt tears sting his eyes as she automatically turned into the touch, doing that little purr-growl thing she only did when she was around those that she loved.

His legs gave out suddenly, and he dropped to his knees beside her, grateful that Anakin was too caught up in Padme to notice.

"I am so glad you are still here, Little One," he whispered, biting back his tears.

"You told me….to wait for you….."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows shot up as blue eyes slowly opened, and a sleepy smile curled her lips.

"I did, didn't I?" he said, unable to stop the joyful smile from spreading across his face.

She nodded, her own grin widening.

"So you _do_ listen to me sometimes," he teased, gently tugging on one of her lekku.

She giggled. "I listen to you lots of the time," she said. "I just choose to ignore most of it."

Obi-Wan gave a mock groan of despair. "Force help me, it's a miniature Anakin."

Ahsoka snickered, then yawned so big, her jaw popped.

Obi-Wan laughed softly, resting his hand on the side of her face and giving her a gentle sleep suggestion. "Rest, Little One," he said. "We'll be here when you wake up."

"Okay," she yawned again, then turned her face into his hand. Her blue eyes fluttered closed, and her breathing deepened.

Obi-Wan stayed there for a moment, then gently eased his hand away and rose to his feet. The medical droid took her inside the ship with the other victims, and he could hear Rex complaining about Jar-Jar from out here. He shook his head with a rueful smile. That Gungan…Incredibly helpful at times, and at others…..well, the less said about those occasions the better.

He leaned against the ramp of the ship, staring out into the forest with unfocused eyes.

Naboo. A beautiful planet of lakes and forests and hope and life and _death._

He'd lost his Master here. His _father._ He didn't know what he would have done had they lost Ahsoka here, too.

 _You told me…to wait for you…_

Ahsoka's words rang in his mind and he had to close his eyes for a long moment to regain his composure. She had waited because he'd asked her to. He'd asked Qui-Gon to wait for him, too, and he _hadn't._ And Obi-Wan had _lost him._ The pain that tore through his heart with that thought was just as strong and debilitating as it had been almost twenty years ago. He didn't think Anakin had caught on to the meaning behind those words when he'd said them, which was good, because the last thing he needed was for his Padawan—former Padawan, _kriff,_ why was that so hard to remember?!—to start thinking that Obi-Wan had only taken him on as a favor again. That had taken _years_ to beat out of Anakin's stubborn head.

 _Wait for me._

Knowing it was childish, but _needing_ the reassurance, he carefully reached out, finding Ahsoka's presence in the Force. It was so full of light. _Alive_. He sent another tendril of thought towards Anakin and Padme, making sure it was subtle enough that the Knight wouldn't sense it.

He took a deep breath and let it out, willing his turbulent emotions to go with it. ( _They didn't_ ) Ahsoka was alive. She was _alive_ , and she was alright. Anakin was fine. Exhausted, with a few cuts and scrapes, but no lasting damage. Padme was perfectly healthy, only a little tired. The usually pulled together Senator was a bit of an emotional mess right now, though.

Her emotions swirled between relief, anger, love, grief, and fear that was quickly fading into only a mild concern. Curious, Obi-Wan tracked the concern. It was for Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan had to smile. His old friend was such a good person. She would give her life for anyone she cared about (and quite a few she didn't) in a heartbeat, so herself being surrounded by the poisonous fog hadn't worried her a bit. She'd been concerned for the others, who didn't have the suits.

Obi-Wan's smile faded as his mind drifted to the crushing wave of Ahsoka's pain and fear that had crashed into both Jedi on the way back to Naboo. Oh, for a heart stopping twenty seconds, he'd thought she was gone. And he thought he was going to fall apart. He'd lost so many already—Siri, Cerasi, Tahl, Qui-Gon..….

 _Focus on the present, Padawan._

The warm baritone voice drifted by on the breeze, and he felt a phantom pull on the Padawan braid he hadn't had in years. Tears made his vision blurry, and he closed his eyes as he leaned back against the ship, trying to pull himself together.

Obi-Wan dragged a hand across his eyes, thoroughly irritated with himself. He was a General of the Grand Republic Army, a Jedi Master in his own right and member of the Council. And yet here he was, falling apart like an Initiate in the Crèche.

"Master?" the concerned voice sounded right in front of him, and he startled, cursing himself for not paying attention to his surroundings. He hadn't even heard the younger man come up.

"Yes, Anakin?" he forced a smile.

"Are you alright?" Anakin's blue eyes were full of worry.

"I'm fine."

Anakin raised an eyebrow, and Obi-Wan sighed, dropping the façade.

"It's this place," he said softly. He crossed his arms and leaned against the ship again. "Lots of memories, and most of them aren't good."

"Oh," Anakin's shoulders dropped.

* * *

He should have known. This was the planet where Obi-Wan had gotten saddled with him, as a favor to his dying Master.

"Not _you,_ Ani," Obi-Wan said firmly. He locked eyes with Anakin. "I will _never_ regret taking you as my Padawan."

Anakin tried to bite back the tiny smile that always cropped up when his Master said things like that. "Then—"Anakin hesitated, unsure if it was his place to say this. "Then if it's not me, what is it?"

Obi-Wan looked off into the forest again. "Me. Qui-Gon. Things we said that we shouldn't have." His eyes dimmed and unfocused. "Things we never got to fix."

Anakin felt his own eyes start stinging when he saw that Obi-Wan's were that awful rainy grey that they'd been for the first four years of his apprenticeship. He _hated_ that color. No matter how many years had passed, he knew that Qui-Gon's death was still a point of absolute agony for his Master. And he knew that the ragged, broken ends of their Master-Padawan bond were still in Obi-Wan's mind. Anakin also knew that they still hurt.

He didn't know what to do. Obi-Wan always knew what to say in situations like this, but Anakin was the Hero with No Fear, not the Negotiator. So he just leaned against the ship beside Obi-Wan and pressed their shoulders together. Because really, what was there to say?

* * *

Obi-Wan felt an uncertain pressure on his shoulder, and a hesitant wave of comfort over the bond he had with his apprentice. There was still a raw wound in his heart where Qui-Gon should have been, and it had been torn open again today, but with Anakin there, it hurt just a little less. He pressed back into Anakin's shoulder, and sent back a warm wave of gratitude.

Anakin ducked his head and cleared his throat twice. "So, um, anyway. I came over to tell you that the, uh, the patients are ready to go. The bunker had been cleared and stuff, and the virus has been eliminated, and yeah. So, we're ready to go now. I'll just, ah, be on the ship."

And he fairly ran up the boarding ramp. Obi-Wan shook his head, laughing softly. "That boy." Anakin had never really been emotionally gifted, but the fact that he tried anyway meant more to his Master than he would ever know.

Still smiling, Obi-Wan followed him up the ramp.

* * *

Ahsoka's eyes wouldn't open. She was trying (sorta) because she wanted to get up (not really) and see what was going on (actually true). But her eyes wouldn't cooperate. She huffed, and waited a minute before trying again. This time she succeeded.

She had to blink a few times to get used to the light, but when her sight cleared, she thought her smile would crack her face in half it was so big.

She was in the Healing Wing at the Temple (ick), and someone had managed to wedge three chairs next to her bed. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padme were all here, and they were all sound asleep. Padme was in the closest chair, one hand covering one of Ahsoka's. The Senator was leaning on Anakin with her head on his shoulder. Ahsoka bit back a snicker. Those two thought they were so secretive….

Anakin was in the middle chair, and Ahsoka felt tears spring to her eyes as she saw him. There were several scrapes on his face, his hair was tangled and dusty, and his skin was bruised. He had obviously not wanted to leave her long enough to clean up. He was slumped over on her bed, one of his hands covering hers and Padme's.

Obi-Wan was in the last chair, his head was tilted back against the chair, and he was just as scraped and dirty as her Master was. One of his hands rested on Ahsoka's ankle. Her heart warmed when she realized that he had been using Force-Healing on her until he fell asleep. His other hand was on Anakin's unoccupied shoulder, and lightly poking her bond with her Master, Ahsoka could tell he'd been doing the same thing for Anakin. Anakin always told her that Obi-Wan was a wonderful Master, but he didn't let himself get attached because of the Code.

 _Oh, Skyguy,_ she thought, _sometimes you are so very wrong about this man. I think you're the only one who can't see how much he loves you._

She slowly and carefully pulled in a deep breath, unable to stop her grin when it didn't hurt. She took a deeper one, and it still didn't hurt. Still grinning, she eased her hand out from under Padme and Anakin's. Their hands twined together, even in their sleep, and Ahsoka's smile turned into something softer. They really were good together.

She knew that such thoughts were against the Jedi Code, but she couldn't help but feel like they were her family. Padme was like her mother/big sister: always looking after her, teaching her things about life and being a woman. Anakin was like her brother: always protecting her, teaching her how to fight and laugh and live life to the fullest. Obi-Wan was like her father. He was always there for her—for all of them. Whenever she needed to talk or rant or cry, Obi-Wan never turned her away. He always heard her out, never told her that her emotions were unacceptable for a Jedi (which they were). He would just let her cry or scream herself out, and then he would wrap her in his arms and just hold her for a while. He was inhumanly tolerant of all her and Anakin's pranks and mischief—sometimes he even joined in. He was always up for teasing Anakin, and she knew that he would lay his life down for any of them in a nanosecond.

 _No doubts about it,_ she thought, feeling a sappy grin stretch across her face. _These guys are my family._

Ahsoka yawned, still feeling kinda tired. She slowly stretched, and the movement woke up Obi-Wan.

His blue-green eyes blinked slowly a couple of times and then his face lit up with his rare, full smile—the one that reached his eyes and made the jewel-like colors shine.

"Welcome home, Little One," he said warmly.

She grinned back at him. "Thank you, Master."

The quiet conversation woke the other two, and they quickly pulled their hands apart. Ahsoka rolled her eyes, and saw Obi-Wan look up at the ceiling, obviously biting back a grin.

"Ahsoka!" Padme exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around the girl, and the little Togruta closed her eyes and just rested her head on her shoulder.

"Snips." There was so much emotion in her Master's voice.

She opened her big blue eyes, and shot him the brightest grin she had. "Told you, Skyguy. You're stuck with me."

His face lost its worry and stress. His blue eyes lightened, and his deep laugh rang out. Obi-Wan snorted, clapping a hand on his apprentice's ( _son's)_ shoulder, and Padme beamed at all of them, situating herself so she was sitting next to Ahsoka with an arm around her shoulders. Anakin and Obi-Wan moved their chairs closer, and Ahsoka grinned at them.

"So, what'd I miss?"

They started telling the story, interrupting each other and correcting each other until Padme was crying with laughter and Ahsoka couldn't breathe again, but for a much better reason.

Ahsoka looked around the room, her heart filling with love and joy.

They were crazy, and complicated, and confusing. They were brilliant, and simple, and understanding.

They were flawed, and perfect.

They were broken, but fixed.

They were absolutely insane—all of them.

But they were a family, and none of them would want it any other way.

* * *

 _I won't leave you! Not this time._

 _A red blade splits the darkness, and a yellow eye glows with hate._

 _Then you will die._

 _Blue eyes once full of joy now full of tears._

 _The dance begins._

 _A smile once so cheerful now stern and hard with experience._

 _The doors close._

 _The blades keep dancing._

 _A heart once so full of love now broken with grief and loss._

 _White blades at long last falter, and are thrown far beyond reach._

 _Blue eyes once so full of joy now broken and hard and full of tears but still holding the same love._

 _I will never give up on you, Master._

 _A yellow eye widens, and a second color fights for dominance: a crystal blue._

 _Simple words._

 _Such a complicated promise._

 _A moment of hesitation is a moment too long._

 _The temple collapses._

 _Both dancers walk away._

 _One to a place that will drive the crystal blue far into its prison of sickly yellow, and the other to the shadows, to wait until blue eyes brighten with hope for a day that is coming._

 _A day when crystal blue will come back for good._

 _A day when a promise will be kept._

 _She will never give up._

 _(She promised)_

* * *

 **Gahhhh...I made myself cry again with the epilogue. That episode KILLED me...**

 **Anyway. I wrote this because in the original version, SPOILER ALERT, Padme's suit is compromised when Ahsoka deflects Jar-Jar's blaster bolt back at them. So Ahsoka, Padme, and all the clones are infected. But Anakin _ticked me off_. They come out on stretchers, and Padme looks not great, yeah, but she's _fine._ Ahsoka _still_ looks like she's dying, and Anakin acts like he couldn't care less. UGH. SPOILER OVER. **

**So I wrote this and made myself very happy.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and please drop a line or two! It means a lot to me. I'll try and get that third story out as soon as I can!**

 **Till next time!**


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